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Advanced Films and Coatings for Energy Storage Materials and Power...
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Advanced Films and Coatings for Energy Storage Materials and Power Insulation Systems

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Engineering for Energy Harvesting, Conversion, and Storage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 2364

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jixing Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Electrical Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China
Interests: coatings; thin films; insulation technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rising global demand for electricity and the integration of renewable energy are accelerating the need for more efficient and reliable power cable systems. The function of these systems depends on their polymer-based insulating materials, whose properties ultimately determine performance, durability, and safety. This Special Issue will showcase cutting-edge advances in “Advanced Films and Coatings for Energy Storage Materials and Power insulation Systems”.

We welcome contributions addressing key scientific and engineering challenges related to insulation for power transmission and distribution. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

1) Chemically modifying and functionalizing polyolefins (e.g., grafted polypropylene, crosslinked polyethylene) to improve dielectric properties, suppress space charge, and increase thermal resistance;
2) Developing and processing nanocomposite insulating materials with superior mechanical and electrical performance;
3) Conducting fundamental studies on interface compatibility between insulation and semiconducting shields and developing strategies to optimize these interfaces;
4) Metal particle coating prevention and control technologies, including but not limited to metal, inorganic, organic, and composite coatings;
5) Mechanisms of flashover, breakdown, and discharge in complex environments;
6) Streamer–leader transition, arc development, and multi-field coupling in external insulation;
7) Creating eco-friendly, recyclable, or high-temperature-resistant insulating materials suited to the grids of the future;
8) Aging, erosion, and failure processes of composite and polymeric insulation materials;
9) Surface modification, coatings, and novel materials for enhanced insulation performance;
10) Monitoring, diagnostics, and predictive modeling of insulation reliability;
11) Microscopic simulation and macroscopic electrical performance analysis of ZnO varistors considering multi-element interactions;
12) Introducing novel design concepts for multi-layer insulation systems with functionally graded properties.

This Special Issue will bridge the gap between material-level innovations and system-level requirements for next-generation cable technology. We will provide a platform for researchers to share insights that will ultimately enhance the capacity, safety, and sustainability of energy infrastructure worldwide..

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Jixing Sun
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • metal particles
  • kinematic properties
  • coatings
  • collision recovery coefficient
  • power cable insulation
  • polymer films
  • dielectric properties
  • interface compatibility
  • electrical treeing external insulation
  • discharge mechanism
  • failure and degradation processes
  • optimization strategies
  • complex environments
  • advanced insulation materials

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4757 KB  
Article
Research on Current Sensing Coating for Power Equipment Based on Electrochromism
by Daoyuan Chen, Jialiang Song, Yongsen Han and Yongjie Nie
Coatings 2026, 16(5), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16050545 - 2 May 2026
Viewed by 339
Abstract
Current detection technologies of operation current in power systems primarily rely on electromagnetic induction principles and infrared thermal imaging. These methods suffer from inherent limitations such as dependence on external power supplies, susceptibility to interference in complex electromagnetic environments, and high equipment costs. [...] Read more.
Current detection technologies of operation current in power systems primarily rely on electromagnetic induction principles and infrared thermal imaging. These methods suffer from inherent limitations such as dependence on external power supplies, susceptibility to interference in complex electromagnetic environments, and high equipment costs. Electrochromic materials, which can directly convert electrical signals into optical signals and enable self-sensing without external power, offer a novel technological pathway for condition monitoring of electrical equipment. However, existing electrochromic materials still face technical challenges in power equipment operating environments, including high response thresholds, poor environmental stability, and short cycle life. Based on the synergistic electrochromic effect of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and fluoran, this study develops a color-changing coating suitable for operating current sensing. Core–shell structured microcapsules with urea-formaldehyde resin as the wall material were prepared via in situ polymerization to effectively encapsulate the P3HT–fluoran composite core material. These microcapsules were uniformly dispersed in an epoxy acrylate/TMPTA ultraviolet-curable resin system to form a current-sensing coating with excellent adhesion and insulation properties. Test results show that the coating, applied on a busbar, undergoes a noticeable color change from red to white within 30 s when a current of 100 A passes through the busbar, with a color difference (ΔE) of 25.3. The coating exhibits adhesion strength exceeding 11.7 MPa, volume resistivity on the order of 1013 Ω·m, and a breakdown field strength higher than 85 kV/mm. After 100 cycles, ΔE remains stable, demonstrating good cyclic durability. This research provides a new visual sensing solution for high-current monitoring and shows broad application prospects in the field of power equipment operation status monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Films and Coatings for Energy Storage Materials and Power Insulation Systems)
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16 pages, 2591 KB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Study on Discharge Mechanisms of Section Insulators at High Altitude with Structural and Surface Coating Optimization
by Jixing Sun, Yide Liu, Dong Lei, Jiawei Wang, Tong Xing, Kun Zhang and Jiuding Tan
Coatings 2026, 16(3), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16030390 - 22 Mar 2026
Viewed by 457
Abstract
With the rapid development of electrified railways in high-altitude regions, section insulators in catenary systems frequently experience gap breakdown and surface flashover under low atmospheric pressure conditions, posing serious threats to safe train operation. This paper investigates the discharge mechanisms of section insulators [...] Read more.
With the rapid development of electrified railways in high-altitude regions, section insulators in catenary systems frequently experience gap breakdown and surface flashover under low atmospheric pressure conditions, posing serious threats to safe train operation. This paper investigates the discharge mechanisms of section insulators in high-altitude environments and conducts research on discharge characteristics under extremely non-uniform electric fields, along with structural optimization. First, the physical mechanisms of gap discharge and surface flashover in section insulators are analyzed. A three-dimensional electric field simulation model of the section insulator is established, and numerical analysis is performed to reveal the electric field distribution characteristics. The results indicate that the electric field is predominantly concentrated at the junction between metal electrodes and insulators, as well as at the tip of the arcing horn. The local maximum field strength reaches 3.84 × 105 V/m, exceeding the corona inception field strength of air, which readily induces discharge. Subsequently, power frequency and lightning impulse discharge tests are conducted in both plain region and regions at an altitude of 4300 m. The results show that under high-altitude conditions, the power frequency breakdown voltage decreases by 28%, and the 50% lightning impulse breakdown voltage decreases by 42%. The discharge voltages under standard atmospheric conditions are obtained through correction. Finally, optimization schemes involving arcing horn structural modification and surface coating application are proposed. Adjusting the arcing horn angle to 55° and adding a grading ring structure with a radius of 70 mm reduces the local maximum field strength by 26%. After applying an RTV insulating coating, the field strength at the junction decreases by 35.9%, effectively enhancing the insulation performance of section insulators in high-altitude regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Films and Coatings for Energy Storage Materials and Power Insulation Systems)
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18 pages, 1997 KB  
Article
Optimization of SnCl2:NH4F-Derived Sols for Preparation of Thin Transparent Conductive Crystallized SnO2 Films
by Anastasiya S. Kovalenko, Anastasiya I. Kushakova, Anton M. Nikolaev, Nadezhda N. Gubanova, Vasilii A. Matveev, Ekaterina A. Bondar, Sergei V. Myakin, Oleg A. Zagrebelnyy, Alexandra G. Ivanova and Olga A. Shilova
Coatings 2026, 16(2), 210; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16020210 - 6 Feb 2026
Viewed by 509
Abstract
Transparent conductive SnO2 films, promising for application in electronic engineering, were obtained by sol–gel synthesis via mixing SnCl2∙2H2O and NH4F solutions, followed by deposition onto glass substrates by centrifugation and heat treatment at 450 °C. The [...] Read more.
Transparent conductive SnO2 films, promising for application in electronic engineering, were obtained by sol–gel synthesis via mixing SnCl2∙2H2O and NH4F solutions, followed by deposition onto glass substrates by centrifugation and heat treatment at 450 °C. The physicochemical processes of SnO2 crystallization in water–alcohol solutions of SnCl2 were analyzed depending on the concentration of the crystallization initiator NH4F and the alcohols used. The sol–gel processing of the thin films was investigated using a Latin square approach. Three factors affecting the film formation conditions were varied at three levels to determine the best combination of film properties involving the maximum transparency and lowest specific electrical resistance. The effect of solvent type (ethanol, 1-butanol and isopropanol), the amount of introduced fluorine (5, 10, and 15 at. %) and the number of deposited layers (10, 15, and 20) on the composition, morphology, crystallization features, transparency and specific surface resistance of the synthesized thin films was studied. The obtained films of ~200–340 nm thickness exhibited ~78%–95% transparency in the visible spectrum range and specific surface resistance (ρs) from ~109 to >1012 Ω/sq. The optimal combination of thin (~250 μm) SnO2<Sn> film target performances including transparency 84% and specific surface resistance ~109 Ω/sq. was achieved in the case of their preparation in isopropanol with an average concentration of NH4F (10 at. % F) and spin-on deposition of 20 layers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Films and Coatings for Energy Storage Materials and Power Insulation Systems)
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15 pages, 2758 KB  
Article
First-Principles Calculation of the Desolvation Effect of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes
by Fudong Liu, Sinan Li, Wanjun Zhu, Miaomiao Zhao and Bing Liu
Coatings 2025, 15(10), 1190; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15101190 - 10 Oct 2025
Viewed by 643
Abstract
This study used density functional theory (DFT)-based first-principles calculations to investigate the desolvation effect of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) modified with hydroxyl (-OH), carbonyl (-C=O), and carboxyl (-COOH) groups. SWCNTs have great potential as supercapacitor electrode materials due to their unique structural and [...] Read more.
This study used density functional theory (DFT)-based first-principles calculations to investigate the desolvation effect of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) modified with hydroxyl (-OH), carbonyl (-C=O), and carboxyl (-COOH) groups. SWCNTs have great potential as supercapacitor electrode materials due to their unique structural and electronic properties, but their practical application is limited by poor solvation-induced dispersibility and low ion transport efficiency. To solve this, this study constructed functionalized SWCNT models, simulated their interaction with lithium ion (Li+) complexes in acetonitrile (AN) solvent, and analyzed Li+ desolvation behavior, relative capacitance, and post-desolvation density of states (DOSs). The key research results are as follows: [Li(AN)]+ complete desolvation sizes differed: 5.91 Å (pristine SWCNTs), 6.26 Å (hydroxylated SWCNTs, HCNT), 6.11 Å (carbonylated SWCNTs, CNCNT; carboxylated SWCNTs, CXCNT). HCNT showed the largest relative capacitance enhancement (max 1.4× pristine), while CNCNT and CXCNT both had a max 1.3× improvement. Post-desolvation DOS analysis revealed distinct electronic property changes: HCNT-Li+ enhanced metallicity and conductivity; CNCNT-Li+ increased metallicity but reduced conductivity; and CXCNT-Li+ decreased metallicity with nearly unchanged conductivity. This study provides an atomic-scale theoretical basis for optimizing the properties of SWCNT solutions, supporting their application in high-performance supercapacitors, particularly in enhancing device energy density and cycle stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Films and Coatings for Energy Storage Materials and Power Insulation Systems)
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